"Racist Texas" Hosts the NAACP?

Attorney General Eric Holder address the 103rd NAACP in Houston - Photo:  AP

Yahoo!News Reports, July 10, 2012:  Speaking before the NAACP, Attorney General Eric Holder departed from his prepared speech on Tuesday, decrying voter ID laws that have been proposed in 10 states so far. Talking Points Memo reports:

"Under the proposed law, concealed handgun licenses would be acceptable forms of photo ID, but student IDs would not," Holder said.

"Many of those without IDs would have to travel great distances to get them, and some would struggle to pay for the documents they might need to obtain them.

We call those poll taxes."

"Poll Tax Receipt - 1912"

Holder isn't the first to say such laws are racist. Benjamin Todd Jealous, CEO and president of the NCAAP, evoked the civil rights movement Monday, comparing the moment to "Selma and Montgomery times." Jealous unilaterally opposed the laws, saying, "Simply put, the NAACP will never stand by as any state tries to encode discrimination into law."

[MoosNote:  IRONY ALERT:  "But we'll hold our annual conference in a state that tries to legislate discrimination into law..."  IRONY ALERT ENDS.  As of this date there are 19 states which have NO Voter ID requirements, so future conference states to host the NAACP may be harder to come by...]

Video Link:  Stealing Holder

Mitt Romney will speak before the NAACP on Wednesday. Jealous, who posits that Romney could garner more votes from African Americans than John McCain did in 2008 when Barack Obama received 96 percent of the black vote, believes Romney's economic message has not played well so far.


[MoosNote:  But I'm the 'racist', right?  96% of the vote?  Seriously???  I can't decide 96% of the time if I want ketchup or mustard on my hot dog.  How can such a geographically dispersed, historically-diverse group of Americans disconnected by all things OTHER than 'Race', vote '96%' the SAME way?  Obama must have been running some really effective ads back in 2008...  I hate to mention it here, but maybe Romney's economic message hasn't played well so far because he's 'White'?]



Same day, different news source...

Holder, NAACP Meeting, Photo, AP Yada, yada, yada

TownHall.com Reports:  Earlier today, Attorney General Eric Holder addressed the NAACP Nation Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas.

What did media need in order to attend? That's right, government issued photo identification (and a second form of identification too!), something both Holder and the NAACP stand firmly against when it comes to voting. Holder's DOJ is currently suing Texas for "discriminatory" voter ID laws. From the press release:

"All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials. Members of the media must RSVP to receive press credentials at http://action.naacp.org/page/s/registration.

For security purposes, media check-in and equipment set up must be completed by 7:45 a.m. CDT for an 8:00 a.m. CDT security sweep.  Once the security sweep is completed, additional media equipment will NOT be permitted to enter and swept equipment will NOT be permitted to exit."


Ironically, NAACP President Ben Jealous railed against voter ID just before Holder took the stage.

The head of the NAACP on Monday likened the group's fight against conservative-backed voter ID laws that have been passed in several states to the great civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Benjamin Todd Jealous, the CEO and president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said these are "Selma and Montgomery times," referring to historic Alabama civil rights confrontations. He challenged those attending the NAACP's annual convention to redouble their efforts to get out the vote in November.

[MoosNote:  The non-Racist African American voter, a.k.a.:  The remaining 4%?]

"We must overwhelm the rising tide of voting suppression with the high tide of registration and mobilization and motivation and protection," he said.

"Simply put, the NAACP will never stand by as any state tries to encode discrimination into law," Jealous said.
 

Jealous went on to say, "We will never support discrimination, unless of course, conference site amenities include a free, all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, turn-down service, and one of those Andes Mints on my pillow at night.  I love those Andes Mints..."



Sooooooo, the organizers of the NAACP Conference specify a higher standard of security for Media covering their event than they support for Legal Citizens voting to determine the direction of the country? 
The air is thick with irony this day.

I must be off. 

Poll Taxes are due, and the kids need shoes...

I'm thinking I need to pick up some Andes Mints on the way home this evening.  Texas is much to far to drive to get my mint-fix.

Say it with me now...  ANDES MINT CUPCAKE

You know you want one. 

96% Of Legally-Registered-ID-Toting Voters do.